Oxygen in the Shop?

[RayH]

Having lost a major bout with pneumonia, I will be on supplemental oxygen for the foreseeable future. Does anyone have any experience with dealing with this in the shop? Specifically, does anyone know of a good respirator that allows an oxygen input? I need to find a way to keep the dust out while allowing the O2 to get in along with very filtered air.

As it now stands, my shop time is pretty much limited to reapplying wax to cast iron surfaces and inventorying screws.:gar-Cr

Any help available?

TIA
Ray

 

[Joe Scharle]

Very sorry to hear about your illness, Ray. Hope you have it under control.
I can't recommend an air shield, but hopefully someone will be able to help.

 

[Tarhead]

Ray,
I'm sorry you've had to deal with an illness and glad you survived! Hope it's temporary. I used to be a Respiratory Therapist in a former life so I'll give you my 2 pennies. I'm assuming you're on nasal oxygen. There's not a good way to create a dust proof seal with a standard respirator/dust mask type system and the oxygen tubing. Those types of masks also create a lot of extra work which would not be fun if you were already having a rough time breathing. The powered air purifying respirator systems like this:

http://www.amazon.com/DEAL-Q4-Airshield-Battery-Cradle/dp/B002Q0Y5B2/ref=pd_cp_hi_1 would be the best for your situation but they're not cheap. You would be supplied with clean air to breathe normally, it would not interfere with your oxygen cannula and your tubing would not interfere with it. Your eyes would also be protected:icon_thum. I've had no experience with this particular mask. The versions we use in hospitals cost 4 times as much. Keep in mind that these are not organic vapor respirators...but you need to stay far, far away from organic vapors.
Very important!!!!
Oxygen + Flammable vapors (lacquer thinner/paint thinner/acetone/Naptha/aerosol finishes/etc) can cause a big BOOM so sub out any finishing jobs or switch to water based finishes.

Good luck getting back to work!

 

[RayH]

Joe - Thanks. I might have more to sell then the mortising machine before long.

Mark - Roger on the big BOOM. I have the Trend shield and am slowly trying to work into it. I have used it in the past, but when I tried it the other day I was congested for a day or two afterwards. I have now cleaned it out and cleaned the filters. I'll try it for a few minutes when I get some time (it's tax time you know) and see the results. One bothersome thing about the Trend that I noticed AFTER buying it, is that it is NOT a respirator and is not certified by anybody for use in non-healthy environments.

Oh, sigh:gar-Cr May be having a big yard sale soon.

Thanks,
Ray

 

[BrianInChatham]

Not sure if this is feasible, but what about a CPAP machine with supplemental O2? Between the mask and the positive pressure I doubt you'll have any dust infiltration issues. Might be a little pricey, but you might be able to justify it medically and pick one up through insurance.

 

[Tarhead]

Good thought but CPAP/BiPAP Machine and mask would not be a good idea. The filters on CPAP/BiPAP machines are not HEPA (not even close) and the masks are not airtight. The machines also have a valve built into them or the hose connection to the mask which functions as an inlet if you out-breathe the blower which is very easy to do if you're not sleeping. Mixing Oxygen with the amount of air a CPAP/BiPAP machine blows in would take about 5 times as much oxygen to equal the amount being delivered with nasal cannula oxygen delivery. You have to deal with the dilution effect.

 

[Tarhead]

Here's what you need:
http://www.airwareamerica.com/3mhepaas400airstreamsystem.aspx

What the Trend system should be.

 

[Joe Scharle]

Ray, this may be too far out of the box, but do you think a scuba mask would be adaptable?

 

[RayH]

Mark - You're right. That's just what I need. Now, if only I had a tax refund equal to my taxes due, I'd be in great shape to get one. I'm afraid I've going to have to weigh shop time versus the $900 cost. It's tough to balance the scales on that for hobby time. :tinysmile_cry_t::5sigh: But it is the first workable option I have seen.

Joe - I don't know anything about scuba other than what I've seen on TV. Aren't the mask and breathing device (mouthpiece?) two separate units? Seems I would need a source of room air to mix with the O2. Are there any scuba divers out there who can educate me? Is something like Joe suggests doable? As with so many things, I come from a strong position of ignorance on this topic :icon_scra

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[stave]

http://www.clmcenterprises.com/proair.htm




This is a system that I found, not expensive either. The air intake it placed outside or in a clean air environment, there is a 40' hose that attaches to the mask. A stone carver I know uses it to avoid the breathing the stone dust. I have no plans to quit woodworking so this is the route I will be taking.

I have emphysema so I have problems with dust and finishes. As a result I switched from spraying lacquer to using shellacs, keeping my shop clean is a must and I use a JDS air filtration system going to keep the air clean. Using a respirator makes breathing difficult so I adapted my woodworking style to my health problems. Sanding will be a problem until I get this system, I will be able to spray again also.
I looked at the 3M products and the Triton but they were expensive, required ongoing expenses, bulky to carry or to much weight for my taste.

Good luck with adapting,

Stave

 

[RayH]

Stave,

Thanks for the pointer to CLM. I have requested info from them on using this system with some means to inject supplemental oxygen into the mask area. It looks like I will be on that for a while.

I have been pretty careful about dust, but now it's strictly ZERO TOLERANCE! :new_blowi

A word for all - keep those dust filters clean.

Thanks, Ray.

 

[Tarhead]

Ray you should be able to wear your nasal oxygen while wearing the Pro Air as it is a positve pressure system with lots of flow. It would take a whole bunch of Oxygen to create a comparable concentration if you mixed it with the air from the blower.

 

[Glennbear]

Mark - You're right. That's just what I need. Now, if only I had a tax refund equal to my taxes due, I'd be in great shape to get one. I'm afraid I've going to have to weigh shop time versus the $900 cost. It's tough to balance the scales on that for hobby time. :tinysmile_cry_t::5sigh: But it is the first workable option I have seen.

Joe - I don't know anything about scuba other than what I've seen on TV. Aren't the mask and breathing device (mouthpiece?) two separate units? Seems I would need a source of room air to mix with the O2. Are there any scuba divers out there who can educate me? Is something like Joe suggests doable? As with so many things, I come from a strong position of ignorance on this topic :icon_scra

Thanks for the suggestions.

As a scuba diver I can give you some insight here, normally diver air is supplied via a mouthpiece while your nose is encased in your dive mask. Unfortunately I cannot see how a scuba set up would help since your supplied air would have to come from a hose which I am sure you would not want to be dragging around the shop behind you. There are full coverage dive masks which cover your entire face which might be adaptable to your portable oxygen supply but I have never seen such a hybrid set up. :wsmile: